


people are fools

by littlecreature



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Fandom, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/M, and the little line in the epilogue caught, so yeah I read the new book, we all love a loveless marriage don’t we, yes i hc Livia’s full name as Lavinia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24463867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlecreature/pseuds/littlecreature
Summary: Livia Cardew would be perfect.
Relationships: Coriolanus Snow/Livia Cardew
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	people are fools

Lysistrata finds him in the old Snow apartment, — 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 refurbished to the standard the name deserved .. by the fireplace, flames striking against white marble. 

It’s summer, though. There’s no need. 

“Livia Cardew’s father will be passing through here.” 

“I know.” 

The reply is curt enough that they really don’t need to carry on the conversation, but Lysistrata has the 𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒 to get it out of her system, so she does. 

“And...?”

“I’m going to say 𝑦𝑒𝑠.“ 

Aurelius Cardew is a stern man, who holds little care in regards to his daughter ( or to any of his children ) — she’s something to be sold off to the highest bidder — despite the fact he is currently doing the begging ( nobody wants the girl with the too pointed stares or shrill opinions that never seem to end ) willingly dangling her future into the hand’s of Coriolanus Snow. 

Snow offers Aurelius a cigar ( new , 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝑛𝑒𝑤 — ) && they shake hands, agreeing to the proposal that was set out. They were to be married shortly after her twentieth birthday. He would be twenty one. 

There was no amount of Livia’s screaming that would change Aurelius’ mind — && after she found out about her upcoming engagement, the blonde’s rage seemed never ending. She slammed doors, kicked Avoxes && screamed straight back at her father. 

He gave her an hour to get it out of her system before backhanding his daughter across the face. The screaming stopped, and the sulking started. 

The next morning is a different story — the shock had worn off, and Livia’s natural affinity for social climbing had wormed its way back to the front of her brain. She becomes quite agreeable over a platter of fruit and sweet buns. 

The engagement is announced, and the Capitol citizens are 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 swept up in it — the story fabricated as academy sweethearts who had reconciled once they were a little older, more 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒. She digs her nails into his hand as an up-and-coming reporter throws questions at them — his smile stays plastered on, kissing her for the cameras. 

They’re not supposed to spend time with each other at night until after the wedding, but that doesn’t stop her getting into his hotel room and fucking him into the little hours, her own hand pressed over her mouth as he presses her into the mattress. They might as well get 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 out of this. 

The wedding itself is a luxurious affair, the best designers from all over Panem — 𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 but the best. It has to be, he is in the running for president, 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑙𝑙. They have to make a show of it all. He manages to work up a few tears at the altar ( && it’s all Livia can do to stop herself from laughing ) — and she squeals in delight when he sweeps her off her feet during their first dance. 

The bridal suite is not so romantic. She leaves red marks down his back && his bites draw blood on her hips. She doesn’t care. There is a lack of talking — just noises and the eventual offering of a cigarette. She hangs halfway out the window, taking in the stars above and the streetlights below. He resists the urge to send her tumbling to the asphalt. She shuts the windows, draws the blinds. 𝑇𝑜𝑜 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑤. 

His rise to the top is unmatched, && those who oppose him, seem to disappear. 𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐹𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝐿𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝐿𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑎, she likes the sound of it, the way it looks — carved into the metal plate underneath their portrait. She still had half a mind to scrub out his face — or cut it out, burn the canvas. She doesn’t, but the thought lingers. 

Life at the top is better than she imagined — the power, the privilege. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠. Her siblings fall out of their parents favour && she’s petty enough to send them her condolences, paper drenched in the scent of 𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑠. 

She’s ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑒𝑑 to find out she’s pregnant. All she can think about is the way she won’t fit into her dresses, the way things are going to 𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒 and overall: the mewling brats she will inevitably have to deal with. 

He feels the same way — but the announcement goes ahead with the press .. 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑜 𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑥𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑑 for this new chapter in their lives! 

( And to Snow’s credit — he wakes when she does in the night, sending avox after avox out to retrieve whatever craving she needs satisfied, or to have a bath drawn ). 

The socialite ‘𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠’ she’s gained shower her in praise and love — but for once, she doesn’t take it on. There are bigger things to worry about. 

Birth is awful, and she had decided that within the first five seconds of going into 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 labour. Of course, she gets the best morphling money can buy and as soon as she decides she hates it, she blacks out — waking up after the worst is over. She’s sore and isn’t allowed to move, but the worst is over. 

She gives him his heir first go — and he loves her, for a second. She looks exhausted, in the private hospital bed, her face peaky and her hair flat. The babe is sound asleep in a bassinet beside her. 

“𝐴𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑠.“ He offers gruffly, in form of a name && she agrees. Neither were fond of having a 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑠 𝐽𝑟 𝑜𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 running around, so Aellius it was. 

He gets his spare ( 𝐿𝑒𝑜𝑠 ) and she gets the daughter ( 𝐶𝑎𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑎 ) that she wants ( or so she tells Caesar — though she does enjoy that her daughter is a mini-her && has no objection to being paraded around like a little doll ). 

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟, she thinks — as she watches the children run around the mansion’s gardens over the brim of her wine glass .. but another year of the games is approaching and as her husband has buried himself in deep with the game makers again, she knows that the 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒.


End file.
